Are all the Infinite boys being cast in pairs now? SBS’s pop-music-centered drama She’s So Lovablefirst cast L, and now has added his groupmate Hoya, whom drama fans may better know as the sweet Joon-hee in tvN’s pop-culture phenom series Answer Me 1997. (Over on KBS, two more Infinite boys—Woohyun and Sungyeol—are acting in the teen romance drama High School: Love On.)

It makes sense that a drama about the K-pop machine and set in an entertainment agency would cast all sorts of idols, and goodness knows there’s no shortage of ‘em in the biz, so I expect to see a whole parade of them in the show. At least the main roles will be filled by idols with previous acting experience, and I found Hoya quite endearing in Answer Me 1997, so let’s hope the acting holds up across the board. Hoya’s character will play the leader of a popular fictional idol group named (snerk) Infinite Power, while L plays the group’s “face.”

On the other hand, it turns out that Im Joo-eun won’t be cast in the drama after all; she backed out citing scheduling conflicts and also a difference of opinion over the character. She had been up to play the part of a sharp, free-spoken director of the entertainment agency who falls into a love triangle with the president (Rain) and aspiring-singer heroine Krystal.

She’s So Lovable will follow It’s Okay, It’s Love and premieres on September 17.

Can I say I am glad Im Joo Eun is out? For some reason, I am really not ‘feeling’ this drama and after reading her character description I was worried she would be cast as the stereotypical hated 2nd lead. And knowing her, she would rock that role and make us hate her.
And I love her too much to hate her character.

I dunno if she realises that she has this huge mass following (especially on DB!) even though she has never been the lead in a drama. As long as she doesn’t take up a candy lead or a hated 2nd lead role I am happy. I am not saying she wouldn’t be amazing in it, but I personally wouldn’t like that.

as I said before this is a drama made for export with cringeworthy Idol’s acting (tho I am looking forward to Hoya) and poor ratings. But yeah let’s all start shipping Krystal with L cause why not (seriously L can’t act around girls) it’s every AFF writers dream come true?! Oh wait I forgot Rain is the main lead…my bad.

some people still argue that production team is more important than the actors, when really, it’s about 50/50 i’d say.

Imagine if PBY would play the lead in this drama? even with idols it would go from cliche to a possible hit. Now, with this casting, I don’t think anything there will be anything fresh about this plot, which has already been done to death. I guess this drama’s only aim is to spread kpop into asia, and to please kpop fans. That’s about it.

I’m glad the rumours about IU or PBY or IJE didn’t come true. They deserve better.

IJE dodged a bullet. She took a good decision cause she had nothing to do in this. I bet she’s interested in the follow up dramas of SBS for Autumn/Winter. Not giving names but certainly more interesting for her…

It seems like the more idols they cast the more Rain becomes the odd man out. He is like a man surrounded by boys and girls now. I am not sure about Krystal as the female lead. I never found her to be particularly beautiful or charismatic. At least we know Hoya can carry his own weight as a supporting character.

I think it’s going to look awkward for Krystal to be the romantic lead for Rain and his acting skills will make the others lack of experience even more obvious. I feel bad that it’s his drama comeback because it sounds like a failure before it even starts.

this drama is made for a fangirl like me (myungsoo and hoya in the same drama, sobs), so I’m going to just enjoy the drama while bitching about the story (if it’s really cliche). I wish people will actually give it a chance though, and try not being too judgemental.

Oh Hoya?? Seriously, because YES! I just adored him in AM97 – who didn’t – and was waiting for his comeback since he’s an idol who can actually act and bring out emotions in me. I’m so glad he’s returning and I hope he’s still as good as I remember him to be.

On the other hand, I’m not too bothered with Im Joo-eun even if I liked her. This drama is a love story and will most likely focus on the leads so I wouldn’t care much for who’s cast as the bitchy intruder anyway. If she currently doesn’t have other offers though, it’s a pity because this was her chance to elevate herself in second lead status. She’s never been more than a side character in almost all her dramas, and while she may have fans in DB, she’s not very well known in Korea.

It’s a little too early, but I’m waiting for posters and shooting pics now. This drama reminds me of Dream High where other than KSH, LYJ everyone didn’t know the abc of acting and yet it was so awesome. It’s been a while since I’ve loved a music drama. I’m just so looking forward to this.

I would really love it if this show was going to make fun of and skewer the current K-entertainment climate the way Best Love and You’re Beautiful managed to and those shows were also rom-coms. Or even if it was going to peel back the curtain and show us the behind the scenes maneuvering that takes place within entertainment companies and between said companies and the networks like King of Dramas did for drama production, now that would be a show I would be excited to watch. And I bet Rain would be gung-ho about a role like that – he’s been around the idol world for a long time and he ran his own company for awhile, I’m sure he’s seen it all. It just seems like a lot of wasted potential if that isn’t the road they’re planning to go down. As it stands now, it just sounds like a Trot Lovers + YTBLSS hybrid.

Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by Hoya in Reply 1997. He played Joon-Hee with great compassion and sensitivity and I was much more invested in the development of that relationship than any of the others, tbh, even though I knew it would end in heartbreak. I would feel much more confident if he was playing second lead instead of L.

Maybe they’re taking a break? They’ve had a drama every year for the last few, right? Maybe they’re just burnt out. Thinking about Best Love and YB made me wish for another entertainment-themed outing from them soon though. Fingers crossed.

I would kill for the Hong sisters to come back with an OTP as good as So Ji-sub and Gong Hyo-jin.

Part of me hopes they’ll skew younger with the leads for their next drama and actually give the leading lady role to a young actress like Im Joo-eun, Lee Yubi or Kim Ji-won, that kind of thing would be a huge potential breakout for any of these very talented and underrated ladies.

(and Hong sisters dramas do not need idols to sell, their brand as writers is strong enough to generate buzz all on its own)

I’m not terribly disappointed, I love Im Joo-eun and ever since Soul/Hon I’ve been waiting for her to show what she can do again.
What I’d really like is for a writer such as Noh Hee-kyung, or Noh Hee-kyung, or Noh Hee-kyung, to watch Soul/Hon see what she can do write a lead role with Im Joo-eun in mind and then flex her writer power to get her cast in the role.

OMG she’s out… Oh well it’s for the best. Hoping IJE will find a better role soon. By any chance… will Krystal drop out too and give her role to someone more compatible for Rain. I don’t know why they cast Krystal she was great in Heirs but she lacks the experience as a lead. Let’s hope she proves us wrong and pulls it off then maybe just maybe the drama will be worth watching and not just for the hot male casts lol!

Yay! So glad to see Hoya back in dramaland. I’ve been waiting for him to come back ever since Reply 1997. I like L’s acting as well, and thought he was pretty good in Shut Up: Flower Boy Band. I actually think both of them can hold their own as supporting characters, despite being the dreaded “idol actor” (although I want to see them in an actually decent project!)

On the other hand… how terrible is the second lead character being written, if Im Joo-eun cited “a difference re: the character” as one of her reasons for dropping the project…. Ugh, writers, you have a perfectly fine premise with lots and lots of opportunity for meta humour. Don’t wreck all the awesomeness you’re given to work with with cliche writing!

Yay! I am so happy about this. I love Infinite, my second favourite band. And Hoya too I don’t really like L, so i am glad there’s another reason to follow this drama after Rain.
And Woohyun oppa and Sungyeol oppa are doing pretty well in Hi school, love on. My dear Infinite boys, fighting!

i’m conflicted. this is tvn, so far they had a very long strike of great drams (the only one i hated was high school king) and they now have hoya, my ultimate bias in the whole world.. but i hate all the other actors and i know it will be a mess.. i’m totally gonna end up watching the first episodes and be frustrated! let’s hope for a miracle!

They need to replace Krystal as well. I think the fact that Im Joo-eun left, it speaks of problems and even though I wanted to see the drama, I will not watch it. What other dramas are premiering around this time???

Dramas as ghastly as this one: My Spring Days with Kam Woo Sung and SNSD Sooyoung. It’s a boring drama about a girl who gets a heart transplant and then start a new life and fall in love with her donor’s husband. And there is this upcoming trainwreck named “Iron Man”. It’s about a guy who sprouts knives out of his body and his leading lady is Shin Se Kyung.

It looks like we are in for a drought after all these fantastic summer rom-coms are over. I haven’t really seen anything that peaks my interest except maybe Cantabile Romance and that’s just to make a comparison to the original.

You are certainly not the only one who thinks so. Even most Inspirit (Infinite’s fans) think he sucks at it and want him to stop. But boy doesn’t SM/Wollim listen. In SUFBB all he did was smirking and frowning (smrowning actually)and his scenes in Master’s Sun were unbearable, I had to skip them all. (and don’t get me started about his MV roles with girls, he is so awkward around woman seriously)

Noona heartily approves of this! It’s been toooooooooo loooooooooooooong since Hoya got a role. I’ve been complaining to all and sundry about this for forever; seems someone heard!

I love Gyu to bits, but the fact that that child has more acting credits under his belt is…unsettling. Of course, now I demand an Infinite-centered drama, where they can all play gangsters or vampires or vampire gangsters. In high school, of course.

She’s too good for this, please let her be cast in a better drama now (and preferably as lead, I have no idea how talented actresses like her and Jung So-min end up back at supporting/second lead status after they’ve already headlined their own dramas on network)

I’ve never really cared to much for Idols being cast in dramas, as it is a wise move to lure in the younger audience, but I feel like, is there a shortage of young talented actors/actresses in K-dramaland or somerthing?

Perhaps I’m old, but I missed the days where there would be new up coming young actors/actresses working their way up or the familiar faces of very talented ones. I am not against idols nor am I discrediting them, because some are talented, I’m just say’n.

I wish Bi would’ve picked a different drama as a come back. Guess we’ll all just sit back and see how it goes!

There’s absolutely no shortage of talented younger-gen actors and actresses (the non idol kind), it’s just that they don’t seem to be getting to move from supporting to lead roles the way the previous generation used to. Largely because producers keep giving all the lead roles for that age group to idols, or people who may as well be idols (backed by SM etertainment).

Pretty much the only actresses who escape the curse are popular former child actors like Park Shin-hye.

I wish for Krystal’s sake she wasn’t doing this; not feeling the premise, the absence of non-idol actors, as well as her romantic pairing with Rain (I like how in the past her pairings were age appropriate; with this one the power imbalance due to age and both of the characters’ respective situations is uncomfortable).

I had hoped she would be cast in some indie project or something to stretch herself and demonstrate a more naturalistic acting style. And she just seems generally ill-suited for this sort of Candy-ish ingenue role. Ah, well.

At least Im Joo-eun’s fortunate to have escaped this potential trainwreck.

Awwww Hoya <3 I always wondered why he didn't follow up his well received 1997 acting stint with something. I shipped him and Yoon Jae till the bitter end. He's just so extremely likeable so I'm thrilled that he's cast with Rain.

This drama is just swimming with idols. I really hope the acting holds up. Thankfully, none of them are debutants or it would've been a disaster. They're all either decent/good or passable in the very least to me. Not gonna lie, the casting sapped so much of my positivity but it's Rain's comeback drama. Even if I wanted to bolt, I'd be pulled right back like a magnet, lol.

NOOOOOO!! I wanted to watch Im joo eun in a new drama :(( Since I wasnt crazy enough to watch Heirs, its been a while~~ But in the other hand, HOYA IS IN DRAMALAND AGAAAIN!! YAAAAAYY!! but whutt is it with L?! like, Im a fan but really, he’s robotic…! in Sly and Single Again, many of his lines were funny but he said them with NO emotion and a blank face *sigh*
anyways, back to im joo eun: a part of me feels she might have her reasons to turn down this project -Icant blame her since the premise alone has every other cliché- and if she did to have a lead role in ANYTHING, Im really glad! Hope to hear of her asap

I don’t know why people kept bitching about this drama and bashing whoever. If you do not like it then do not bother even clicking the article. Do not bother even reading anything related to the drama. Do not waste your time here. Unless they just casted your own idol then go ahead but since this article is about Hoya & L and also the other Krystal casting article and you do not like them then do not bother leaving comments about bashing and hating the idol.

So what if it’s Krystal who got the lead?! It’s not like she’s the first idol to ever get lead. This is her 4th role and she did 3 supporting roles before. Suzy got lead right off the bat, same for Sulli, Yoona, Eunji etc. even Sunhwa, IU, UEE, Sooyoung and many more idol are doing lead now and this idols got lead too on their 2nd drama and didn’t do much supporting roles.

And see the hypocrisy, why do you hate so much on female idols getting cast but be ecstatic about male idols?? Even if they even have worse acting skills. And how can you be so sure it will flop, people said the same thing about Dream High since it’s full of idols who have never even act before, and then there’s Taec who got bad idol-acting reputation that time for his cringe-worthy acting and yet it got high ratings even if people still criticize their acting (esp. Suzy) but it still rated high and was sold to diff. countries. Heirs story line suck so much but they get high ratings still and was very popular internationally. Krystal got bash so much when she was casted for Heirs and yet in the middle of the drama everyone suddenly turn around and kept praising her and loves her.

Why do you hate her so much when you have not even given her a chance? How is that fair for her then? If you like IJE so much then go produce your own drama and cast her as lead. It’s not Krystal fault the PD offered her the lead role. And beside it only prove that putting her name w/ the drama made the drama more know. She gave the drama more buzz Internationally and in Korea as well. If you see on diff. website it was the 2 article about her being courted to play the lead and accepting it on Top articles the day it come out. Even in Naver & Nate it had so much comments and views and mind you most comment is worried for her being hated because of Rain and not hating on her. Both positive and negative she still help a lot for this drama to be talk about.